Honest Trailers - Pokémon
by The 21st Century Pendragon
Summary: Witness the comical takedown of the Pokemon anime. And see how Ash and others react to it.
1. Indigo League

After class, Ash is just relaxing on a hammock by the beach with Pikachu beside him.

"This is the life, hey buddy," Ash utters.

"Pika," Pikachu utters.

"Nothing can stop me from my summer break."

But suddenly, Sophocles calls him from a distance. "Ash!"

Just hearing that, a disturbed Ash falls from his hammock. "Sophocles, don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry. I just think you should watch this."

"What's that?"

"It's a video I saw on the Internet. And it was made for you." Sophocles then opens his tablet and readies the video player. "I haven't seen it yet. So I hope we could watch together."

"Let's see…" Ash then reads the title of the video. "Honest Trailer?"

"Yeah, it's kind of intriguing."

"Well, let's see." And with just a click on his tab, the two watch the video called "Honest Trailers – Pokemon: The Indigo League, made for Ash Ketchum".

* * *

The video starts with the inclusion of screenshots of requests from online users.

After the typical Honest Trailer green title card is shown, the epic voice guy starts narrating, " **After the success of the games, the trading cards, the manga and the merchandise, there is one thing left for Japan's beloved franchise to do: make an anime about it. And it kind of works?** "

Amazed at the material present, he responds, **"Wow. Never knew that a show about a kid capturing bugs would actually be this okay.** _ **Pokémon – The Indigo League**_ **."**

Accompanied with timely clips about Pokémon's history, the narrator jots down the details in comical fashion, " **Relive the phenomenon that is the Pokémon anime that admittedly made the Nintendo games even more successful, made this yellow rodent infestation a pop culture icon, had us clamor for more anime, not just that there is more to love, but this series had scraped the bottom of the barrel for fresh things to do, which never aged their protagonist for a day, and the only evolution that happened is Pikachu's body weight.** "

But the epic voice guy shifts to the show at hand:" **Journey back to the Kanto region and feel home at the Town of Palette, where everyone looks urban but they live in a rural way. And tag along with Ash Ketchum, a brooding 10-year-old who squeals every word like a motivational speaker but talks down to everyone he meets like a real 10-year-old. He will find company with his starter Pokémon, none of these guys but Pikachu who may be the most hazardous Pokémon in town who will do anything to send thunder shocks to anyone, no questions asked.** "

As a montage of clips showing Pikachu's recurring thunder shock demises, the voiceover talent brings his concern about the creature. " **Seriously, he just like caused hundreds of injuries.** **Should they impound this Pokémon already? Or is there even a Pokémon penitentiary center where they can jail this creature?** "

Sophocles tries not to chuckle from this humorous take, but Ash stays his jaws dropped from what he is seeing right now.

The video continues on. **"But Ash and Pikachu are not alone. They will drag along more friends to Ash's misadventures. There's Misty, the no-nonsense, tomboyish water Pokémon trainer, who got off on a perfect introduction to Ash when her bike got burned, but that won't stop her from uncharacteristically catching flames to Ash, and she's not hiding it. There's Brock, the token…best friend who got booted off the series for a being a racist stereotype, but not for being a desperate, hopeless romantic who would drool over every beautiful girl he comes across. There's Ash's mom, Delia, who would just allow her 10-year-old son travel alone with no supervision."** Reading that line, the epic voice guy feels the need to comment," **But boy, is she a beauty…** " **There's also his Pokémon whom Ash would just battle, catch and keep, until he throws them at the arena. There's also Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny who have a clone army?** The voiceover narrator feels the need to also remark on this." **Someone's lucky…or not.** " But he moves on," **And there's Professor Oak, who is there to deliver expositions.** " A montage of Professor Oak explaining is shown to emphasize his point.

The epic voice guy continues, " **Together, with other characters who either appear only for one episode or for one season, they would help Ash's goal to become a Pokémon Master…which sounds vague in retrospect.** "Continuing from his puzzlement, he raises more questions," **I mean how do you become a Pokémon Master? Are there any set of rules or criteria? Or do you have to go through battles and battle the actual Pokémon Master? You know, if I am asking these questions for you, kid, you better rethink your life.** "

Nevertheless, the narrator goes on with the script," **Embark on a journey across the Kanto region and watch as various kids train their captive animals with shady techniques and have them fight with their fellow brothers and sisters, for the sake of credit and entitlement that these kids would devote their entire life around, instead of…I don't know…going to school, if they have schools around here.** "

"They do," Sophocles utters. But Ash shushes him.

The two continue going through the parody video, as the epic voice guy continues with the script, " **Watch as Ash battle great opponents that are hindering his way. There's Gary, the total jerk with his personal travelling harem…that he ditched for the next seasons to become friends with Ash. There's Ritchie, who would become the star of his own spin-off episodes. There's also…the occasional whining.** " A compilation of Ash and company's bickering is shown for evidence to supply the point.

"You and your friends?" Sophocles asks.

"We are friends. Bickering is given," Ash makes his point, to which Sophocles understands.

The epic voice guy then reverses back to the matter at hand, " **Oh, and also the real villains, Team Rocket: Jessie, the villain with a flair…of ego trips, and whose hair came from** _ **Hocus Pocus**_ **; James, the rose-wielding second banana, who is also a bottle cap collector; and Meowth, the only Pokémon who can talk, which raises a real hole about how Pokémon vocabulary actually works. Under the ruthless leadership of Vladimir Putin Giovanni, they will do three things: say their motto, capture Pikachu and get blasted off every episode.** "

Ash and Sophocles nearly laugh at every Team Rocket gag that was shown.

" **So, strap in again for the adventure that faithfully adapts the storyline of the games, had every 90's kid anticipated every Saturday morning and every parent had been finding room to enjoy, not just because of the abundant amount of Pokémon mumbo-jumbo but also the various notorious episodes that Netflix would refuse to air.** " The narrator is actually referring to the episodes "Beauty and the Beach", "Holiday Hi-Jinx" and of course, "Electric Soldier Porygon". Clips of them are shown, but without the latter's strobe light effects.

" **And get ready to relive the fun characters that Ash would replace them with these other generic characters for the next seasons, the colorful Pokémon that your kid would not stop gushing over, the thoughtful lessons that the characters won't stop talking, the cartoon violence that was never different from live-action violence, the mediocre movie that became the highest grossing anime movie before** _ **Spirited Away**_ **, and the beloved theme song that remained stuck in your head since 1999.** "

With that said, the Internet parodist sensation Parody-Mons ready to perform a spoof of the theme song:

 _ **I want it to be the very best**_

 _ **Anime ever was**_

 _ **Too bad it's not that great**_

 _ **It's for kids because**_

 _ **I have traveled across the net**_

 _ **There's many shows to find**_

 _ **But Pokémon is on my queue**_

 _ **Now, binge-watch starting five**_

 _ **Pokémon, gotta watch them all**_

 _ **On the TV**_

 _ **You're gonna watch till 40**_

 _ **Pokémon, this season's best**_

 _ **The others, a hard test**_

 _ **Pokémon, this catchy tune**_

 _ **This franchise ain't leaving soon**_

 _ **You buy these and play these too**_

 _ **Merchandise!**_

 _ **Gotta get 'em all**_

 _ **Gotta watch them from…the first season!**_

After that, the narrator takes over to get to the best part of every Honest Trailer:

" **Starring:**

 **Harry Poacher (Ash)**

 **Donald Trump's Least Favorite Meme (Brock)**

 **Play Misty for Me (Misty)**

 **Plushmon (Pikachu)**

 **Dr. Doug Ross (Professor Oak)**

 **Grandpa's Boy (Gary)**

 **Flutter by (Butterfree)**

 **Peugeot (Pigeotto)**

 **Agumon (Charmander)**

 **Pfft the Lazy Dragon (Charizard)**

 **Spiny Shell (Squirtle)**

 **My Crush's Favorite Pokémon (Bulbusaur)**

" **Got any grapes?" (Psyduck)**

 **Gym Class Heroes (Gym leaders)**

 **Cuter Nurse Ratched (Nurse Joy)**

 **Respect Her Authoritah (Officer Jenny)**

 **Marisa Tomei (Delia)**

 **Will & Grace (Jessie & James)**

 **White Salem (Meowth)**

 **Undercover Boss (Giovanni)**

 **And Frieza (Mewtwo)** "

Also, he goes to the honest title, " _ **Pokémon**_ **, Yeah That Sums It Up Pretty Well.** "

But the video will not end without an ending spiel, parodying " **Who's that Pokémon?** "

The narrator then tries to make a guess." **Okay, I got this. It's a Diglett.** "

The figure turns out to be a clear silhouette of Pikachu. However, the image is revealed to be, " **Batman!** "

" **Oh **** you, guys,** "the epic voice guy berates, swallowing for the fact that he actually guessed from a troll parody video.

And at that note, Ash and Sophocles are left stunned at to what they witnessed.

"I can't believe my eyes," Sophocles reacts. "There are some things I haven't known about you, Ash. And this is just…"

"Just okay. We can't unsee that," Ash responds.

"But I have to wonder why is it made for you."

"I don't know." Ash then scrolls down towards the comment section. Suddenly, he notices a disclaimer from the captions. He reads, "This is a collaboration between Screen Junkies and Association of Shunned Helpers?"

"Shunned Helpers? Who are they?"

"I don't know. But one thing is for sure: it's not good." Ash dictates this with a serious tone.

Though, Sophocles is not stunned. "Well, of course. But who it might be?"

Meanwhile, back at Castelia City at the Unova region, several individuals with full-body red hoods converge to an abandoned hall and wait for the arrival of their superiors. Several minutes pass, and from a family-friendly comes the leaders of the hooded figures, a woman and a man. The rest chant incoherently as the two figures climb to the podium to dictate to their cohorts.

"Greetings, followers. You know what you came here for," the woman declares.

"Let us lavish and celebrate the success the first of our string of viral videos," the man follows up as the figures stomp their feet and hoot in victory.

"That is it. We have claimed glory, for we are not done with the individual known as Ash Ketchum," the woman goes on.

"But take heed for they will surrender and we will fight, fight, fight!" the man concludes, leading for the other figures utter their battle cry and their evil laugh.

 _To be continued…with the next Honest Trailer._


	2. Orange Islands

After the viral success of the first Pokemon anime Honest Trailer, Screen Junkies, in cooperation again with the Association of Shunned Helpers, released a follow-up video. And there is no stopping with overall reception of the first video.

Thus, an involved party hold the guts to watch the upcoming video.

* * *

This parody trailer starts with the typical print-screened requests and the Honest Trailer title card.

And that opening, the Honest Trailer voice guy starts his opening spiel:

" **You love the first season. Now, get ready to experience Ash's adventures in a summer island where nothing much happens but the occasional wows.** "

Just to emphasize that point, a montage of clips showing Ash's Alola adventures are shown, making the narrator comment about it, " **Hmmm…kind of getting into something.** "

" _ **Pokémon: Adventures on the Orange Islands**_ "

After dictating the title in an epic way, the epic voice guy starts riffing, with the help of clips from the show, " **Get ready for another adventure from our favorite Pokémon gang...as they slog on the unreached Orange Islands for meeting more people and more padding. Because if there's one thing we looked forward for a Pokémon episode, it is meeting more and more padding.** "

But instantly, he briefly recaps where Indigo League dropped off, " **After Ash lost the finals to his carbon copy Richie, his next journey begins…by delivering a powerful Pokéball to another plant-named scientist named Professor Ivy. And she's a…** "

Unintentionally catching a glimpse of the attractive Professor Ivy, the narrator slowly falls for her but tries to concentrate on the trailer. " **Snap out of it, man! You should not be distracted. You don't fall for me, hot woman.** " Then a screenshot of Professor Juniper is flashed.

But he moves on, " **But after they finished their task, the producers think Brock is a squinty-eyed racist stereotype and make him ditch his best friends for this hot professor and nerdy daughters…**

In his usual habit, the voiceover narrator side-comments about Brock's moves," **…at least, there's that…** "But then he recalls Brock getting petrified whenever someone mentions Professor Ivy to him, as emphasized by an accompanying clip," **…no wait, never mind…** "

Sooner, he gets back on track, " **…in favor for his bland replacement, Tracey. He's a Pokémon trainer who…draws. And he…draws. And he draws more...Oh, and he is good at caring for Pokémon. And he…draws again.** " After realizing Tracey's not-so-fleshed-out character, the epic voice guy emphasizes, " **Yeah, there's nothing much from this guy. Sheesh, now you made me pine for your 'racist stereotype'.** "

" **Embark on a quest that pits Ash against four generic gym leaders to become the Orange Islands Champion, which pretty much inspired the Battle Frontier. And keep waiting for more generic battles until he is pitted against the champion himself, Drake and his most powerful Pokémon, Dragonite. And Ash wins?** "At this point, the narrator finds himself disappointed at the turn of events within the Orange Islands Adventure. " **That's it? That's it for this season? Come on! I mean, where's the Pokémon league? I'm expecting cool stuff from the games? Where's "Surfing Pikachu"? And why am I having problems with this?** "

Nevertheless, he continues with the script comically, " **But it is not just the battles. It is also about friendship, which is why you should never have ditched Brock. And it is also about romance where Misty gets wooed by this creep named Rudy, who had initially prepared to court her; but don't get to worried because Ash gets wooed by this creep named Melody, who had initially prepared to court him.** " Getting the parallels, the narrator remarks on Ash's and Misty's relationship," **Oh, now I get why fans call it Pokéshipping…because they stir their feelings in a wrong direction.** "

" **So, strap in for the second season, which you actually can skip towards the Johto episodes. And unravel on the pointless directions that leads to one revelation: Pokémon Go still exists.** "

He emphasizes this point by actually having the video show a clip of him playing Pokémon Go. " **Is someone still playing this game? 'Cause I am.** And as he goes to his skirmish, it is abundantly clear that he is the only one playing." **Look, I caught a Rattata. Fun, right?** "

After that awkward interlude, the epic voice guy proceeds to the best part of every Honest Trailer.

" **Starring:**

 **Pikmin (Pikachu)**

 **Tracey Sketchy (Tracey)**

 **Tai Kamiya (Ash)**

 **Redheaded Express (Misty)**

 **Cruella de Velvet (Jessie)**

 **Whinier Pegasus (James)**

 **Anger Translator (Meowth)**

 **What's Inside of a Kinder Egg (Togepi)**

 **The One That Got Away (Melody)**

 **Lapras Lazuli (Lapras)**

 **Poison Ivy (Professor Ivy)**

 **Blue Eyes, White Dragon (Gyarados)**

 **Slo Pro (Slowbro)**

 **Dragontales (Dragonite)**

 **And Hard as a Brock (Brock petrified when asked about Professor Ivy)** "

After summing up that, he gives the Honest Title:" _ **Pokémon 2: On Stranger Tides**_ ".

But before the video ends, the epic voice guy reacts to a particular clip when Ash and Misty witnesse two Nidoran mating and Misty remarks about she and Ash getting married, causing Ash to be surprised." **Subtle.** "

* * *

One of the people who just saw the video are none other than Misty and Tracey. While Tracey is nonetheless enjoying it, Misty has the extreme opposite reaction.

"Well…that was something, but it is really a fun concept," Tracey comments. "What do you think?"

Though she is speechless, she is more aggravated with the content. "What do I think? What do I think?!"

"You gotta keep it down!"

"Keep it down?! Someone just mocked us. They mocked us! Someone had the audacity to mock us!"

"Well, I wouldn't call it mock but making fun."

"Still the same! I'm going to get to the bottom of this! And hunt down those who are responsible for this!"

But abruptly, a smoke gas explodes behind them. And out of the smoke emerges two figures.

"You better vent at your own contempt." A female voice utters.

"You better complain but you won't attempt." A male voice utters.

"To infect the world with devastation."

"To blight all people within their nation."

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love."

"To extend our wrath to the stars above."

"Cassidy!"

"And it's Butch, don't forget it!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling around the world, all day and night."

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

After recognizing the figures to be their foes, Misty and Tracey position themselves to defend. "It's you guys, Cassidy!"

"And Bert!" Tracey utters.

But Butch does not take that easily. "I told you twerp! It's Butch! I told you not to forget it!"

"What do you want, you two? Haven't Ash defeated you many times?" Misty strikes.

"Well, it was hard. We were designated to desk posts because of that twerp!" Cassidy remarks.

"At least that's fair," Tracey says.

"So, we took our time to assemble those who were oppressed by that twerp. And offer membership to his friends," Cassidy explains.

"No, thank you," Misty rejects.

But Tracey realizes something. "Wait, that makes you the Association…?"

"…of Shunned Helpers. Or A.S.H. for short," Butch finishes, "A league of those whom Ash forgotten every season."

"Haven't you noticed that at his time at Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos and now at Alola that Ash never acknowledged you?" Cassidy intervenes.

"Yeah, and how he never even has to worry or even mind about you and the rest of you?" Butch adds.

"What's your point, Boots?" Misty asks.

"I told you, you twerp! It's Butch! Now, this is getting out of my nerves!" Butch rants.

"Calm down there Butch. We'll settle everything, once the dust has settled," Cassidy promises.

"It's Butch…Wait, that's what you said."

"Now, twerps, this is an act for that Z-faced twerp to remember you. Or at least noticed your presence. Join us because there's more like you. We're handing you an offer you can't refuse."

Given that choice, Misty ponders of how deep her relationship with Ash was, he never acknowledges her as he goes farther on his journeys. She indeed realizes that Cassidy made a point. But to if she should make action onto this, it is still up to her…

 _To be continued…with the Johto Honest Trailer._


	3. The Johto Journeys

Part of the wrath of the Association of the Shunned Helpers, they coordinate once again with the Screen Junkies crew to release another Honest Trailer. For that, here is the Johto one.

* * *

As the screenshots are flashed and the title card appears, the Honest Trailer begins with the spiel from the epic trailer voiceover:

" **After the awesome adventures in the Kanto Region, and the forgettable detours in the Orange Islands, now the Pokémon anime series are getting their hands on the Gold & Silver games, which got every gamer jump for joy. And they…basically do the same thing as they did previously.**"

Due to being his usual shtick, the narrator feels the need to side-comment, ' **Wow, I see a sign of creative bankruptcy here.** "

" _ **Pokémon: The Johto Journeys**_ **…and the rest of their challenges.** " The logos for Johto Champions and Master Quest flash on the screen.

With that, he continues on with the script, accompanied by timely clips to stress his point, " **Welcome to the Johto region, with new Pokémon, new locations, new gym leaders, new competitors and new threats, but still with the same old Pokémon, same old Japanese-inspired setting, same old gym battle, same old competitions and same old villains. All the while, giving us same old formula that worked in the past: meet new friends, go to all gyms, defeat gym leaders and participate in the Pokémon league.** "

However, the voiceover stresses, " **Hey, if ain't broke, don't fix it.** "

" **Meet a whole new gang.** " Saying that, the epic voice guy laughs at that claim and calls bluff on it. " **Just kidding. Instead of the way more interesting Ethan and Kris, who got their own forgettable spinoff episodes, stick to the same old gang from the first season, and admittedly are the best awkward kid trio, before the best awkward kid trio. There's Ash, who still gazes on his dream to become a Pokémon master but still acts like the opposite. There's Misty, the mother figure who squeals like a soccer mom. There's Brock, who is still falling for every girl that he meets…except for Misty. And there's everyone's favorite Pokémon who, after manipulating many techniques and possessing new moves, hasn't evolved.** "

Bringing Pikachu to the table, he still feels the need to complain, " **I mean come on! You fought many battles. And you got iron tail for a move. How come you still haven't evolved? Is there a cheat that I can plug in, just for you to evolve?!** "

But he still sticks to the script, " **But along the way comes new challengers, or just any kid who comes along their way that fought Ash. There's this girl who loves baseball but cries…** " Seeing that, the epic voice guys points out, " **You shouldn't be crying in baseball.** " Cue Tom Hanks clip from _A League of Their Own_ with the famous line, "There's no crying in baseball." " **Yeah, like what he said. There's another castle filled with girls. There's this boy who cares for a Pokémon, much like others. There's this kid, who showboats in front of the camera. There's another little girl in the league, so that's something? Oh, and there's this way cooler trainer named Harrison, who bookends the journey with an Easter egg from the next region. And there's Gary freaking Oak, who still acts like a competitive jerk who ditches his cheerleading team in favor to become a doctor.** "But he utters out of perplexity of his motives, " **Okay?** "

Though he defends this, " **Look, I'm only here for Pokémon action. That's not being a jerk to you, because that is what you sell to me, Game Freak.** "

" **However, those challengers are no match from the biggest villains yet…Pokémon, which honestly cause more havoc and lives with their infestation.** " Cue montage showing Pokémon destruction.

" **So, relive the Johto adventures, which admittedly had cool moments of invention that had to be slogged through with more padding. But hold on to your seats as we go through the most emotional moment in the anime where Ash, Misty…and Brock have to…part ways.** " Realizing he is about to get to the most heartfelt part of the script, the epic voice guy struggles to continue on, " **And they spent…the last moments…celebrating their friendship…get it together…ohhh…that no matter what happens…Ash will cherish precious moments of friendship…** " And at that note, he begins to breakdown in tears, " **Stop it, Pokémon! You supposed to be a dumb kids' show…but you made me cry…I think I need to call my friends…** "

But holding back his tears, he continues on with the best part of every Honest Trailer.

" **Starring:**

 **The Monster N'Ash (Ash and Pikachu)**

 **Her-misty Deranger (Misty)**

 **Eyes Wide Shut, Eyes Wide Open (Brock with his normal eyes and opening his eyes)**

 **The Wet Bandits (Jessie and James soaked)**

 **Meowth Mix (Meowth cooking)**

 **Mother of Dragons (Claire)**

 **Casey Groans (Casey)**

 **The Schyler Sisters (Kimono Sisters)**

 **Bill Gates (Professor Elm)**

 **Reptar (Totodile)**

 **Chikorita Banana (Chikorita)**

 **Cinder Quill, Char Lord (Cyndaquil)**

 **Lumpy (Phanpy)**

 **Harrison Chad (Harrison)**

 **Filler Croc (Larvitar)**

 **And "Oh…oh, here she comes…" (Bianca from Pokémon Heroes kissing Ash)** "

With that said, he also gives the honest name, " **Pokémon: There and Back Again** ".

Before that, the video ends with a final spiel, showing Ash calling Professor Oak with his converging Pokémon behind him.

" **Man, is Ash really throwing all his Pokémon to his mentor's small and secluded laboratory? How dare you treat an old man like that?** "


	4. Advanced Series

More _Pokémon_ Honest Trailers continue to be released, thanks to the growing membership of the Association of Shunned Helpers and their growing (or sort of forced) partnership with the guys of Screen Junkies.

The extent of their influence even reaches Pewter City, where Brock's siblings catch the glance of the first three Honest Trailers.

"Hey Brock, you should see this!" young Forrest tells his older brother while he is sweeping the gym's floors.

"What is it?" Brock replies. He then follows his brother, who leads him to his laptop.

"You would not believe what we just saw. Some video actually called out your name," Forrest explains.

"Really? What could it be?" Brock asks. "Probably some dedication video. Or an interview. Or a documentary about Pokémon medicine where I got credited."

"Nope, it's something different," Forrest confirms.

With that, he clicks the play button for the Honest Trailer for _Pokémon Advanced_.

* * *

The video starts off with flashing of screenshots of video requests and the obligatory title card.

And with that, the epic voice guy kicks off his spiel, " **After the original series touch on our childhood nostalgia, along with the games, trading cards and non-stop merchandise, the saga of the anime continues in the most efficient way possible: recycling the same old formula.** " With this point, he takes a stab on the redundancy of their video formula, " **Yep, much like the previous Honest Trailers, we're doing the same old formula, but advanced. Pokémon Advanced.** "

He then goes along with the script, along with accompanying clips, " **After journeying the sprawling region of Kanto, stopping by at the pointless detour in the Orange Islands, and trekking the sort of exciting of Johto, step in to the region of Hoenn, where it is essentially the real world equivalent of Brazil, with the dense forests, the rich culture, the tourist sites and the most outrageous fans.** " Then, a clip is flashed, showing the parallels of fans from Brazil and fans from Hoenn.

" **Journey once again with…** " However, the narrator suddenly stops and makes a side-comment, " **…let me guess…it's Ash and Pikachu again, right?** " After being notified of his claim, the epic voice reacts vehemently. " **...Ughhh…** "

" **Watch as this inseparable pair test their friendship as Pikachu goes through severe upon entering a brand new region, and Ash must rescue him, train him, test his skills, practice a new move and subject him to a series of gym battles and championships.** " When the epic voice guy claims those testaments, the video shows a series of split screen scene where one screen shows sequences from the original series while the other shows the _Advanced_ series, just to remark how redundant the formula gets. " **And still, he hasn't evolved. Yep, it doesn't sound familiar, does it?** "

Despite that remark, the epic voice narrator proceeds with the rest of his spiel on introducing the other characters: " **But Ash is not alone. Along with him is a brand new crew of fresh faces, plus the incomparable Brock, because Brock is awesome.** "

" **There's May, the Pokémon trainer who hates Pokémon…but who also loves Pokémon eventually, or specifically the cuter ones.** " Cue May's Pokémon roster.

" **There's Max, the walking Pokémon encyclopedia and the answer to Brock's flirting habits.** " Cue a clip of Max pinching Brock's ear whenever the latter approaches a girl.

" **Together, they will again help Ash become a Pokémon Master, which he still cannot help gushing about, and go through the same-old, same-old adventures that we get used to…** "

However, the narrator gives a defense to those claims: " **But at least we have May on her subplot to become a Pokémon coordinator, which is kind of the equivalent of a contestant for** _ **Project Runway**_ **…** "

Even with that absurd claim, the narrator keeps defending that Advanced is not as bad as he seems, " **Or maybe encountering all kinds of Pokémon is fun right? With the legendary ones to the…lamer ones…** "

But he gets his hopes high when he has to mention the legitimate threats, " **…but perhaps stopping enemies like Team Magma, the criminal syndicate who wants create new land to create a new empire; and Team Aqua, who wants to submerge the world to create a new empire…** "

Just with that statement, the narrator gives up, " **No, we're not going to reuse the Lex Luthor jokes we did for the games, because we won't sink in the same level of redundancy as this anime does.** " But he forgets one more thing: " **Oh, and there's Team Rocket too, who are just there to get blasted off.** "

" **Thrill at the real 'advancement' of the series, as 4Kids Entertainment announced not to renew their contract to release the anime to the world market, and The Pokémon Company got the rights to the dubbed versions, starting with the Battle Frontier, which only made the characters sound hokey and the dialogue kind of forced.** " After that, a clip compilation comparing the 4Kids dub and the TPCI dubs are shown, which makes the narrator reconsider his preference. " **Can we get 4Kids back?** "

But he still continues, " **So, strap in for the adventures of the once glorious anime, as it takes inspiration from the less inspired Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and Emerald games. But don't worry about going through the same old formula that kids would ignore and fans would not want to admit, because we still get the awesome Pokémon battles and the one Pokémon to outdo all Pokémon from all generations.** "

And at the anticipation of his voice, the epic voice guy reveals the Pokémon he is talking about: " **Mudkip. You heard me right? There, I said it! I. Like. Mudkip. Now, shut your faces and go to starring!** "

With that, he kicks off what is arguably the best part of every Honest Trailer:

" **Starring:**

· **Ashton Catcher (Ash)**

· **Ling-Ling (Pikachu)**

· **Donald Glover (Brock)**

· **May This Be Love (May)**

· **The Pagemaster (Max)**

· **Sergeant Keroro (Treecko)**

· **Chick Magnet (Torchic)**

· **"I Wanna Be Famous" (Mudkip)**

· **Professor Dewey Finn (Professor Birch)**

· **Rita Repulsa (Jessie)**

· **Kevin James (James)**

· **Sanrio (Meowth)**

· **A Life Buoy (Wobbuffet)**

· **One Pieces (Team Aqua)**

· **Assassins Creeds (Team Magma)**

· **The One That Got Away (Misty)**

· **Norman Reedus (Norman)**

· **Halle Berry (Winona)**

· **Kurama (Drew)**

· **What a Human Cacturne Would Look Like (Harley)**

· **And Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (All Hoenn Legendary Pokémon)** "

Just like that, he also reveals the honest title: " **Pokémon: Advanced Degeneration** "

But before the video ends, the epic voice guy has to side-comment, " **Okay, the new series kind of sucks but we can all agree that the Hoenn Pokérap is kind of awesome. Right?** " Cue playing the official video for the Hoenn Pokérap.

* * *

When the video ends, Brock is just left astounded as to what he just saw.

"Brock, are you okay?" Forrest asks.

However, Brock never answers. Only after a few moments of silence that Brock is able to react. "I think I need a day off." And with that, the famed Pewter City gym leader walks to his room and shuts the door to contemplate on the video that he just saw. In reality, Brock ponders repeatedly of how he is referenced. "Well, to be fair, I like the Donald Glover joke, whoever he is," he utters.

Afterwards, he thinks of calling a close acquaintance from the past.


	5. Diamond and Pearl

After the Hoenn Honest Trailer becomes widespread, several of Ash's previous companions start to take notice of this. One of them is May, who, during a lunch on a diner in Johto, nearly spat out all of her food when she had a first glance on the video.

"What in the world is this?!" May complains. "Who would ever make a mock video about me and my adventures?" She eventually whines tearfully about it, in typical cartoon form.

Some onlookers notice May's whining, even in the part when she gets agitated at her phone.

"This is an outrage! I will get to those nitwits who are responsible for this!" she continues to berate.

Out of the blue, the YouTube bell icon bleeps from her phone, which signifies that another video has just dropped. She quickly stops venting and instantly checks her phone. In one click of the video, she becomes shocked on what she is seeing.

Right away, after the video, she calls one of her most reliable friends in the land, Dawn.

On the other side of the spectrum, in the Kanto region, Dawn is preparing for another Pokémon contest. Just as she is preparing her costume, she receives a call from May and answers it, "Hello? May, it's you! What's up? It has been a long time!"

" _Dawn, have you seen the video?_ " May speaks from the phone in a loudly tone.

"What you talking about? I haven't been online for a while. I wasn't updated to anything," Dawn says, "Except maybe Baby Shark…"

"Go to YouTube and search for Pokémon Honest Trailers. You won't believe what I saw," May directs her.

Feeling it is nothing of a biggie, Dawn checks her tablet on the YouTube app and searches for that. Upon receiving the search results, she confirms of her finds, "Well, it's just for games."

" _Search below._ "

At that insistence, Dawn scrolls below to see an icon that directs to the Honest Trailer for Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl. "Honest Trailer for _Diamond and Pearl_. What is this?" And at one click, the curious trainer watches the Honest Trailer, not knowing the delirious amounts of farce she will see.

* * *

As the video starts with flashing screenshots of video requests and the Screen Junkies title card, the epic voice narrator kicks off the video with his spiel: " **After the original series touched on your nostalgic senses, and the Advanced series failed to repeat that, gear up for the next chapter of the Pokémon saga that ups the scales of everything you expect from the Pokémon anime, except the formula**." He then sidetracks after realizing what he just said, " **Ohh…well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it…I guess.** " He then dictates the title: " _ **Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl.**_ "

With that, the narrator starts off the video with introducing the new region, along with accompanying video clips to guide his point: " **Travel to the region of Sinnoh, where everything is so Japanese that they have their own version of Mt. Fuji, and everyone looks nearly traditionalist**."

" **And journey once again with the insufferable…I mean inseparable pair Ash and Pikachu, who in the first episode get separated again by a Team Rocket attack that sends Ash finding for his buddy in the forest and rescuing him from incoming Pokémon conundrums that causes another random girl's bike to get burned and for Team Rocket to get blasted off again.** " Just dictating that redundant statement gives dismay to the narrator that he comments about this: " **You know, when I said about 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', I don't mean this.** "

Nevertheless, he continues, " **Catch up with the gang, along with new companions like Brock, the fan favorite who goes from caring about girls to caring about Pokémon…** " Making that point, the epic voice guy remarks, " **I guess that's a step up?** " But he still continues with the script, " **…and Dawn, the token female companion who doesn't worry about anything…expect her hair.** " Cue montage of clips featuring Dawn and her hair problems.

" **Relive the adventures of the once fun kid-friendly series as the stakes get higher, when the battles become more personal, the Pokémon contests are turned into vanity projects, the rivalries are fought through bantering and the Pokémon, who were once adored, are turned into lethal killing machines…as if that was not clear from the previous seasons.** " Cue comparisons from the previous seasons of Pokémon.

The narrator goes on with the script on introducing the rivals with a subtle parallel, " **But nothing will withstand the gang as they face off their toughest opponents ever, like Paul, the no-nonsense trainer who advocates Pokémon abuse to make them battle other Pokémon; Barry, the overconfident rival who advocates Pokémon abuse but won't, unlike his idol Paul; and Team Galactic, the obligatory evil organization that advocates Pokémon abuse, so they can recreate the whole universe by making their leader Cyrus, an evil businessman who advocates Pokémon abuse, bend all elements as we know it and make himself a god.** " Upon seeing the clip of Team Galactic's destruction, the epic voice guy remarks, " **Wow, way to go New World Order there, guys.** " Nervously, he implies, " **I hate to say this but can we go back to Team Rocket, again?** "

Nonetheless, he finishes the script, " **So experience once again the action-paced saga of Diamond and Pearl, where it was less inspired from the less inspiring but more engaging Fourth Generation games, as we go to the same obligatory motions just like the previous seasons like: Ash's story arc to become the best like no one ever was, but ultimately lost in the region's league; the obligatory female companion; the Brock brother figure; the tree-named professor; the obligatory starter Pokémon as the lead stars; the Team Rocket appearance from the motto to the exit; the random trainers who learn lessons and stuff; the rivals; the rival battles; the fan-favorite characters; the battle-against-evil subplot; the same old narrator spiel; the replaceable theme songs and the Pokérap.** " However, after being clarified, he responds, "Wait, this one has none? Ughh…lame."

That is before going to the Honest names, the best part of every Honest Trailer:

" **Starring:**

 **Red Ketchup (Ash)**

 **Yellow Furby (Pikachu)**

 **Frizzy Maguire (Dawn)**

 **Be Brock Soon (Brock)**

 **Pororo the Little Penguin (Piplup)**

 **Tartwig (Turtwig)**

 **My Gym Partner's a Monkey (Chimchar)**

 **The Rocketeers (Team Rocket)**

 **Bloo (Wobbuffet)**

 **Professor Albus Rowan-dore (Professor Rowan)**

 **Balloon Hair (Johanna)**

 **Cate Blanchett (Cynthia)**

 **Death Glare (Paul)**

 **Hayley Williams (Zoey)**

 **Max Tate from** _ **Beyblade**_ **(Barry)**

 ***Kenny noise* Mmmm…mmmm… (Kenny)**

 **Inspector Clouseau (Looker)**

 **What not to do to your date (An angry May)**

 **The GOP (Team Galaxy)**

 **Lord Business (Cyrus)**

 **And The Deer Patronus (Arceus)** "

He then dictates the Honest title: " _ **Pokémon: Diamonds are Forever**_ "

But before the video could end, the epic voice narrator gives his last spiel, " **Wait, they have school in the Sinnoh region? An actual school?! And still these twentysomething ten-year-olds have the right to run away from home and travel by themselves?!** " Just with that remark, he mocks this element of the Pokémon universe: " **Wow, you're really stretching your leave-home-at-ten gimmick way too thin, guys.** "

* * *

After watching the video, Dawn has her jaws entirely dropped. She cannot believe the feat that she saw. Just having her name, likeness and personality be attributed on a parody video is one thing, but having an honest take on her is another and a biggie.

"I…can't…" Dawn shrieks. Right after, she takes out her mirror and haphazardly combs her hair. "I will not be bullied by a video!" She goes shrieking and shrieking hysterically in her room. At least, it is in her room.

All the while, the other characters attributed in the video are either passive or shocked on the video.


	6. Black & White

Back on Unova, the Association of Shunned Helpers or "ASH" has gathered its members, who has grown from about 200, to celebrate the success of its Honest Trailers.

Cassidy gives a toast to them all. "Here's to the success of five Honest Trailers for _Pokémon_. That will show those twerps not to mess with the true rulers of this universe."

"It is great that our videos are getting recognized. And now, the senseless hero Ash Ketchum will discover this, and be mocked for his incredible revelations," Butch follows it up.

Cassidy continues her speech to her audience of followers in purple hoods, "Now, we shall unleash the wrath of a sixth video. This time, shaming the Unova region. And soon, we will have another viral video in our hands! Mwahahaha!" As soon as she laughs evilly, the rest does so.

But just as they arrive at the euphoria of the moment, the police barges in the hall, along with Cilan and Iris. The followers then panic around and find a way to escape the supposedly massive hideout.

"Halt there!" Officer Jenny commands them.

Cilan then notices the felons standing on the top. "Wait, is that who I think it is? Team Rocket?"

"It is. But they're not Jesse or James!" Iris exclaims.

Hearing that, Cassidy begins to chant, "Is that so? Now, let us introduce ourselves."

"Our names will stick to you, twerp-ish elves," Butch follows up.

But Officer Jenny interrupts him there. "No need. Those are the other ones, Cassidy and Mooch."

Hearing his name mispronounced, Butch bellows, "Hey there, officer! The name's Butch! It ain't anything else! You got that?"

"He does that," Officer Jenny informs the two Pokémon trainers. She then brings out her megaphone. "Team Rocket, you had made multiple misconducts that it would take a day to enumerate them. Right now, surrender! We have you surrounded."

"We might be surrounded…" Cassidy states.

Then Butch finishes her statement, "But with a press of Enter, and our work is done!"

"Oh, you're not going anywhere without a fight, Cassidy and Botch!" Cilan exclaims.

"I told you a while ago! My name is Butch! B! U! T! C! H! Butch!" Butch shrieks.

"Come on, why is this a big deal for you, Boots?" Iris asks.

"First of all, my name is not Boots, dragon princess! Second, it's a big deal respecting someone else's name! Would you call your green friend here Bob?"

"Is your name even Bob?"

Butch then groans at this zero profundity.

"Quit it, Butch and press Enter. Then, we can get out of here," Cassidy squeals.

"You're not going anywhere, Team Rocket!" Officer Jenny declares.

"Oh, we are," Cassidy threateningly says, "Just as long as we wait for this freaking video to upload!"

"Don't blame me. Blame the slow internet," Butch implies.

"Oh, quit it, Hutch! Just ready the escape procedure!" Cassidy commands, to which Butch groans.

"You're not getting away, Team Rocket!" Cilan then sends out Pansage, while Iris sends out Emolga. Cilan commands him to do Bullet Seed and Iris commands her to do Volt Switch, respectively. But even with a direct hit to the felons, a smoke away, they disappear.

"They're gone!" Cilan utters.

"Gosh, how could they really escape that fast?" Iris asks to herself.

"Whatever the reason, we cannot let them get away with their video scheme," Officer Jenny states.

Just at that moment, Iris' phone beeps, which she checks out.

"Wait, is that a YouTube bell I heard?" Cilan asks her.

"Hey, I need to subscribe to stand by for whatever mockery Team Rocket is putting out," Iris defends. But as she checks out her phone, the worst thing she thought of happened. "Great. The Unova Honest Trailer came up."

"What?!" Cilan shrieks.

Iris then shows her phone to Cilan and Officer Jenny to watch the Honest Trailer they feared about.

* * *

Of course, the parody video starts with flashing screenshots of video requests and the usual Honest Trailer title card.

As the video shows a montage of Pokémon clips from the very first season, the epic voice narrator starts his spiel, " **You've been there from the start, from the time he met Pikachu, the gym battles, the Pokémon leagues, the friendships, the rivalries and the moments that made the Pokémon anime great and nostalgic, for a while. Now, prepare for a whole new chapter of the Pokémon anime world…that makes you want to forget those things happen and start from scratch.** " Knowing that, he groans, then sidetracks, " **This is gonna hurt. _Pokémon: Black and White._** "

The narrator goes on with the body of the parody trailer, " **After four regions that you invested time around to wander in your DS, or browse in the Bulbapedia fanpage, enter a brand new faraway region in the vein of Unova, a New York City-inspired region…"** Cue montage of New York-inspired elements in the show, " **…complete with its own version of the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyscrapers, the New Yorkers, the diversity and the food?** " After seeing that the cuisine is still Japanese, the epic voice guy brings his defense, " **I guess these came from the high-end sushi bars of Manhattan?** "

" **Gear up for another adventure with the quintessential man and Pokémon pair, Ash, who doesn't manage to age a day, and Pikachu, who somehow managed to lose weight after fourteen seasons. They will need help from a new slew of companions like Iris, the 'Trainer of Dragons' with the hair of what looks like a Pokémon…** " Cue the clip of Ash unintentionally throwing a Pokeball to Iris. " **…Cilan, the Pokémon connoisseur, the fishing-enthusiast, cinema buff, subway-travelling detective…of expositions…** " Cue the Cilan moments, including 'evaluating time'. " **…and the same-old starter Pokémon who started as jerks, then evolved to honky-dory, plushy creatures who are then used to fight off their own kind like total jerks.** " Cue the Unova starters.

" **Witness one of the edgier sagas of the anime where Ash has to face off unforgettable competitors like:** "

" **…Gym leaders Elesa, who has her own chanting crowd on every gym battle…** "

" **…Cilan's triplet brothers, the flaming Chili and the chilling Cress…** "

" **…Skyla, the hot chick who you wish to be your plane's pilot…** "

" **…Lenora, the Oprah-ish paleontologist…** "

" **…this vegan hippie…** " Referring to Burgh.

" **…this cowboy…** " Referring to Clay.

" **…this shirtless Bruce Lee knock-off…** "

" **…and this British dude with beard on his mouth.** " He then asks about his ridiculous beard, " **Can he even breathe on that?** "

Even as it goes to the ridiculous route, the narrator continues on with the script, " **But the gym leaders are just as high-stakes as the rivals, who range from clearly tolerable to mildly annoying, like:** "

" **…Trip, the Gary-ish type rival who grows disgust at him for being a foreigner, then respects him eventually…** "

" **…Bianca, the bubbly blonde who's clumsy at everything…** "

" **…Burgundy, the trainer who cannot still rub off the time that Cilan defeated and eventually gets defeated all the time…** "

" **…Stephan, whose one quirk is that people can't seem to pronounce his name…** "

" **…Cameron, the trainer who gets his facts wrong…** "

" **…Virgil, the Eevee breeder and e-eventual champion…** " The narrator then snickers, " **Get it?** "

" **…and N, the reformed Team Plasma member who is relegated to the good side because of his love…for Pokémon.** " As the video plays a clip featuring N taking care of other Pokémon, the voiceover dude has to clarify, " **Don't get me wrong here. It's not what you're thinking.** "

Nevertheless, he continues on, " **Thrill as the anime goes to the obligatory motions of the journey of a boy losing to his own championship. But not to be outdone because the true thrill comes from battling the evil organization Team Plasma, a group dedicated to separating Pokémon from the human world by bringing them to freedom out of their Pokéballs.** " After learning of their motives, the narrator points out, " **Wait, why are they the bad guys? Shouldn't it be good that there is a group of those opposed to Poké-slavery, and would do whatever it takes to achieve that goal, even if it means annihilating other people, threatening 10-year-old trainers and unleashing a powerful monster to destroy the whole world?** " But after realizing the lengths that the well-intentioned motive, he suddenly reconsiders, " **Wait, who are the good guys again?** "

" **So, experience another chapter of the Pokémon saga that takes one step forward to advancing Ash's hero's journey, takes eight steps back by absolutely offering nothing new to the table, except for the Pokémon action and the Pokémon themselves, and takes a new leap on the series by having Ash…** " After giving such an uplifting tone, he then moves to an upsetting conclusion, "…learn all the same stuff he learned in the previous season." Because of that, the epic voice guy vigorously rants, " **Seriously, that's how you develop your main character? It's not like you haven't done it on your games, your mangas, your trading cards and your movies on doing the same formula, but you still have regress your protagonist hero?! Sheesh, what a waste of investing thirteen seasons! You know what, that's it! Ash is the worst! If he doesn't improve in the next season, I'm so out of here.** "

Cue Bart Simpson's comment from "Postcards from the Wedge", where he said, "How did this show stay so fresh?" to which the epic voice guy says, " **I wish, kid. I wish.** "

" **Starring:**

· **Ketchum If You Can (Ash)**

· **Scooby-Chu (Pikachu)**

· **Green-Haired Tintin (Cilan)**

· **Hairagon (Iris)**

· **Snobby (Snivy)**

· **Pot-bellied Pig (Tepig)**

· **A seabear (Oshawott)**

· **Boots the Monkey (Pansage)**

· **Axe You (Axew)**

· **Sailor Juniper (Professor Juniper)**

· **Better Paul (Trip)**

· **Cesar Millan (Virgil)**

· **"I'm in a glass case of emotion!" (Burgundy)**

· **Elle Woods (Bianca)**

· **Stefon (Stephan)**

· **Dragon Quest (Georgia)**

· **Lucky to Be Here (Dawn)**

· **Firewater (Chili & Cress)**

· **The DCEU Version of Team Rocket (Team Rocket)**

· **The Leaders (Gym Leaders)**

· **Popular on Deviantart (N)**

· **PETA (Team Plasma)**

· **And Ebony and Ivory fight together so perfect haggardly (Reshiram & Zekrom)**"

After going through the best part of this parody trailer, the voiceover narrator dictates the honest name: " ** _Pokémon Monochrome_** ".

But before the video ends, the epic voice guy remarks about Alexa hinting about the Kalos region, " **You know your anime series have gone so dour when they added an Easter egg for the next season on the very end. Speaking of which, there's a lot to talk about for the next Honest Trailer.** "

* * *

Much like the previous Honest Trailers, the Unova one becomes viral to the Pokemon world that it reached to Ash's eyes. He is again in unsustainable belief from what he saw.

"Ash, you okay?" Sophocles asks him who sees the master trainer's eyes stunned and jaws dropped.

 _On to the next Honest Trailer!_


End file.
